Coombe Hill

Prime Ministers, Open Champions and even a World War II bomb crater, Coombe Hill is certainly a place that has a little bit of everything.

The club opened in 1911, with the course designed by the great JF Abercromby. Four Open Champions have been club professionals at Coombe Hill, while Winston Churchill was a former member.

Today, the layout runs amongst the Surrey trees and heather, with the course sitting just ten miles from the centre of the English capital city.

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The history of Coombe Hill dates back to shortly before the First World War. 1910 saw the formation of the club, with the course officially being opened a year later.

JF Abercromby, who has previously created the layout at Worplesdon, was the man to lead the charge with the golf course at Coombe Hill.

The likes of Sandy Herd, Dick Burton, Henry Cotton and Arthur Havers have all served as the club professional here – all four having won the Open Championship during their careers.

Some say Coombe Hill is a parkland, others a heathland. Either way, there is certainly a heavy clue in the title – there are perhaps more changes in elevation here than at any other course of such standing. Abercromby was wise enough to ensure that Coombe Hill's uphill holes are either modest-length par 4s or short par 5s. Coombe Hill measures 6,400 yards but those distances are rendered almost irrelevant without knowing the gradients in question. What is more, the slick, sloping greens can change the nature of an otherwise straightforward hole very quickly. 

Given that you begin at the highest point, with views towards central London, it is unsurprising that the opening holes are among the most generous, with short par 4s and back-to-back par 5s to warm you up. It is one this opening stretch that you must score well, before holding on to your card somewhat through the closing side. The course begins with a gentle 315-yard par 4, while the 2nd has a large putting surface that you can find with your approach. The 3rd is slightly more difficult, playing more than 400 yards and as a dog-leg left, but it is another hole where if you find the fairway, you have a clear line to the green. 

You then come to the back-to-back par 5s of the 4th and 5th. The former is the longest hole on the course, but it is only 492 yards from the tips, making it reachable for the longer hitters in two. Another dog-leg left, the drive must reach the corner if you are to take a shot at the green. 5 is only just over 450 yards, but it does play strongly uphill for the second part of the hole so it feels more like 475 or 480. The decision comes after the tee shot, as to whether you take on the green? The 6th is the opening par 3 on the course, and it plays a club less thanks to being downhill. The green is two-tiered, so make sure to hit the right club to find the correct level on the putting surface. 

7 is another gentle par 4, one that bends slightly round to the right, before you come to the 8th – the Stroke Index 1 at Coombe Hill. Although pretty straight, there is plenty of trouble. Both sides of the hole are lined with trees, along with a pair of fairway traps on the right side. The hole then travels uphill towards the green, so make sure to take an extra club for your approach. A par will feel like a birdie on the 8th. The final hole on the front nine is another great short hole. With the pink and purple of the flowers as the backdrop to the green, it is a glorious sight. At 180 yards, but playing slightly downhill, the green is surrounded by four bunkers, and anything offline will be in trouble.  

There aren’t many places where you will hit a tee shot over a World War II bomb shelter. Carry the ball 150 yards off the tee and it will start rolling down the slope – if you hit the fairway. It plays much shorter than its carded length of 436 yards. 11 is the hardest hole on the back nine, one where anything slightly left of the green will work out for you, thanks to some sharp banking on that side of the putting surface. The par 3 12th has the smallest green on the course, and considering the hole plays more than its yardage of 187 yards thanks to being uphill, it will feel even smaller. It’s a blind tee shot on 13, and because the hole is short, the tee shot needs to be further to the left than you might first think. Although only 335 yards, the 14th is not an easy hole. The fairway runs out around the 220-yard mark, so making sure to stay short of that is the key with the drive. 

The closing stretch at Coombe Hill begins with the last of the three par 5s. The 15th plays as a dog-leg right around the trees, but the tee shot is downhill so expect a touch more distance. A ditch runs down the left side of the fairway, and then across the hole in front of the green, so do you go for it in two, or do you lay up? 16 is another hole that is strongly uphill, and plays much longer than its yardage of 396. The 17th is the last short hole but it is not easy. It is only 140 yards, but there are six greenside bunkers to catch anything slightly mishit. The closing hole brings you back to the clubhouse, and with a pair of fairway bunkers to avoid, one on either side, it is a hole that requires an accurate tee shot. The green is large, but it is one that has seen many a three-putt in its time.  

Where is Coombe Hill located?  

Coombe Hill is one of several incredible courses to be located to the southwest of London. It is well inside the M25 - London's Circular Ring Road – and in between the regions of Wimbledon and Kingston-upon-Thames. The centre of England’s capital is just ten miles to the northeast of Coombe Hill, with the A3 running almost alongside the eastern boundary of the golf club. 

Norbiton is the closest train station to Coombe Hill, with trains running between London Paddington and Richmond, operating regularly throughout the day. The two busiest airports in the United Kingdom, London Heathrow and London Gatwick, are both within a 45-minute drive from Coombe Hill. Heathrow – the biggest airport in the country – is less than 15 miles from the venue.

Are there any NCG Top 100s: England venues nearby?

Coombe Hill is not alone in this part of London, with Royal Wimbledon just a stone’s throw away to the east. The likes of St George’s Hill, New Zealand, The Addington and Walton Heath – with its Old and New Courses – are all within a short drive.

What golf facilities does Coombe Hill offer?

Due to the condensed nature of the region, there isn’t a full-length driving range at Coombe Hill. The venue does, however, have a short game area and a putting green to work on those shot-saving techniques.

What are the green fees at Coombe Hill?

The price of a green fee at Coombe Hill changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend.

For more information on current green fees at Coombe Hill, visit their website here.